Dining at Fernando's

When a friend learned that I was going to Macau, she suggested that I visit this famous Portuguese restaurant, Fernando's located at 9 Praia de Hac Sa (tel +853 882 264). It takes about a 20-minute bus ride from The Venetian to Fernando's (one of the farthest place I visited in Macau) but we waited for about 40 minutes more at the bus stop for there were no buses going to Hac Sa Beach at that time! So by the time we arrived at Fernando's, our stomachs were all growling and we were all dying to eat!

On the walls are currencies from different countries, calling cards and handwritten graffitti proudly saying that these customers have eaten at Fernando's! On the ceiling are fans, no airconditioner, dearie! The breezy air coming from the beach greets every customer.

These fresh, hot breads came from their own bakery! It was my first time to eat grilled sardines (their size is five times bigger than our local canned sardines) and boy, the bread and sardines compliment one other, with camote on the side. The fishbones were also a bit big, took me some time to remove it :)

Also unforgettable finds are the clams and the grilled cattlefishes. All dishes that were served on our table were gone in a minute! Delicious is an understatement in this famous dining place.

This trip is really worth it because of the suckling pig! I do not care about high cholesterol or high blood, I had to taste this specialty! My verdict: I am in heaven :) Crunchy, tasty, meaty!

They have only one dessert that I was familiar with and so I ordered their flan---has the right sweetness and "softness." Yummy!

Eating at a Portuguese restaurant for the first time and Fernando's being the "annointed" one is one of my highs in this trip. I'm glad I listened to my friend's advice. The servers are well-trained and know how to "communicate" with the tourists and expats. They show you pictures to make sure you ordered the right meal.

FYI, they only accept cash (HK dollars, Patacas or US dollars), no credit cards. I had run out of HK and Patacas currencies and they willingly accepted my US dollars. Thank goodness :)